Here Is Where You Can Find Vermiculite

I just visited my local Home Depot store and believe it or not, there, stacked on the shelf, were those big familiar tan bags of coarse vermiculite, 2 cubic feet each, for a good price of around $20. I’ve seen it elsewhere at $24 and $26.

So call your local H.D. store and ask for this product. Ask them to make sure it’s the 2 cubic foot size and it’s the coarse grade (sometimes they carry the medium grade, so be careful: we want the coarse). Get their price and then reserve any number of bags in your name. Then pick it up at your convenience.

If you don’t want to call, you can go online and search for vermiculite. If they are out of stock or don’t carry it, call their telephone number, ask for the store manager. Tell him what you want, why you want it, for your Square Foot Garden Mel’s Mix (ask him to make sure it’s coarse grade) and if all goes well, he’ll get it ordered and in the store for you. Since it’s in some of their stores, there’s no reason why they can’t have it in all of their stores.

Another idea to help you obtain it is, if they don’t have it, ask them to search all surrounding Home Depot stores and find out what other Home Depot store does and then at your request, they will have any number of bags shipped to your local store, saved in your name and you can pick it up at your convenience. One last request: if you don’t need it right now, please call your local store anyway, as a favor to Square Foot Gardening, just to see if they have it. We have got to get this material in the local stores. That is our most often asked question: where can I get vermiculite? And the most often given complaint: that we can’t find it anywhere. So please help everyone in the SFG movement and at least call your H.D. store, but if you have a little time, call all your local nurseries as well as some of the other big box stores. They will respond to customer calls and complaints and you will help us immensely.

45 Comments

The Home Depot stores here in Eastern Canada do not carry that product, but after searching for months I found a nursery that carries the medium grade.

What is wrong with the medium grade?

Thanks.

Gina

Bill from WisconsinMarch 9, 2013 at 5:23 am -

I just went on Home Depot’s website and checked for “Vermiculite”. They show medium grade only and coarse grade “Perlite”. Having read Mel’s book he seems to strongly discourage the “perlite” product so I will take your advice and call my local HD store.

However, if it’s impossible to find the coarse, they can go ahead and buy the medium grade, assuming it would be about the same price per cubic foot. We tell everyone to keep thier eyes open and call ahead and if you ever find the coarse grade in the large bags, buy some, its a bargain, will store easily, and do everyone a favor by posting on the SFG website where you bought it and for how much money! Then if you give name and phone number of the store, other people can get it in your area and it will help that store decide to carry more of that product-this SFG system seems to be quite in demand.

Panama City, FLMarch 14, 2013 at 4:02 pm -

Is medium grade vermiculite acceptable in place of course grade? I can find the medium grade locally but have been unable to find the course grade

Well we always say, “Keep looking and you’ll find the coarse somewhere” Or maybe be able to order it over the internet. Of course, the shipping gets expensive but since vermiculite is lightweight, its nothing like shipping Mel’s Mix. If all else fails, then I would say, if you’re getting a decent price for the medium, in large bags, go ahead, realizing it won’t be quite as good. The air holding capacity and drainability of your mix will not be as good as with the coarse. Also, the medium grade does turn into a fine grade much sooner than if you start with the coarse grade.

All that being said, I might point out that in third world countries where they can’t afford vermiculite of any grade, we start their gardens with pure homemade compost. Why don’t we do the same in this country? Because it won’t be as good. It won’t drain as well, it won’t allow air to penetrate to the roots as well and it will pack down more, giving a little poorer growth to the plants.

We encourage people to keep looking because we’ve had many letters saying, “Oh I’ve finally found it” and they’ve gone to places we suggest in the book but they either never read it or didn’t do it. Places like Commercial Nurseries, who might be ordering big cubic bags of coarse vermiculite for thier own purposes or swimming pool companies that use it for bedding. I know you can order the coarse grade over the internet, so check the shipping and see if you can afford it. Hope that helps you make a decision. We want you to have the best possible, because its going to last for 10 years. When you divide the cost of whatever the supplies are by 10, the yearly cost is quite small. Hope that helps and let me know how you make out.

Cape CoddessMarch 17, 2013 at 3:49 pm -

They don’t carry it at the Hyannis, MA store and said it’s because the store is too small.

Santi, MoMarch 17, 2013 at 3:59 pm -

I enjoy Square-Foot gardening yet I am beginning to question the method. How can we make the method actually affordable for lower income households? Vermiculite & Peatmoss are not cost effective on large scale.If a family is really going to produce all their own food won’t they need more than 3 boxes each?

I have installed multiple gardens, never for profit. The upfront cost of SFG method and the difficulty of finding affordable coarse vermiculite has almost shut down my efforts. I am very thankful for Mel and his method just wish there was a more affordable way to implement it.Open to suggestions????

I understand exactly where you’re coming from and we had this same dilemma when we started going overseas to third world countries. There we had no choice because of the availability plus the cost, but in this country, in order to provide the best chance of success for everyone including poor families, we want to start with the best soil possible. Heres why. If you start with a 4 cu ft. bag of vermiculite, that’s going to be enough for 1-2 4’x4′ boxes. But then when you realize that is just the initial cost, and that mix will last for 10 years or more, so divide that $24 by 10 and it means that each box needs about $2 worth of vermiculite each year. That’s a small price to pay for all the fresh organic vegetables you can grow and eat. We have similar letters from people who say they can’t find the coarse grade and I’m going to include my answer to that situation, so you’ll have a better understanding of the situation: Well we always say, “Keep looking and you’ll find the coarse somewhere” Or maybe be able to order it over the internet. Of course, the shipping gets expensive but since vermiculite is lightweight, its nothing like shipping Mel’s Mix. If all else fails, then I would say, if you’re getting a decent price for the medium, in large bags, go ahead, realizing it won’t be quite as good. The air holding capacity and drainability of your mix will not be as good as with the coarse. Also, the medium grade does turn into a fine grade much sooner than if you start with the coarse grade all that will drain as well, it won’t allow air to penetrate to the roots as well and it will pack down more, giving a little poorer growth to the plants. We encourage people to keep looking because we’ve had many letters saying, “Oh I’ve finally found it” and they’ve gone to places we suggest in the book but they either never read it or didn’t do it. Places like Commercial Nurseries, who might be ordering big cubic bags of coarse vermiculite for thier own purposes or swimming pool companies that use it for bedding. I know you can order the coarse grade over the internet, so check the shipping and see if you can afford it. Hope that helps you make a decision. We want you to have the best possible, because its going to last for 10 years. When you divide the cost of whatever the supplies are by 10, the yearly cost is quite small. Hope that helps and let me know how you make out. Remember that once your basic Mel’s Mix is made and put into your box, the only thing you add to that soil every time you replant each square foot is homemade compost. And homemade compost is easily made by the poorest of families because the ingredients are all FREE. We put in a compost pile all the things other people are throwing away, plugging up our landfills and littering our roadsides with.

If you’re funding new gardens for poor families, then yes there is some upfront costs that have to be considered. But Square Foot Gardening, compared to single row gardening, takes only 40% of the cost. And only 20% of the land space, as well as 10% of the water, 5% of the seeds and there are no weeds to hoe. You don’t even need a hoe. You don’t have to buy any tools. Yet the SFG system is 10x as efficient and productive as the old fashioned single row that takes an awful lot of work. I hope that helps you realize all the advantages of SFG and I hope you won’t get discouraged or give up on the system. What on earth would you put in, knowing all these facts, other than, a Square Foot Garden? If you wanted to, you could resort to our overseas third world installation where the entire garden is totally free. We use discarded wood pallets for not only the compost ends, but for the wood in the gardens and then the only real operation is making lots of compost. Thats the starting point, but all the ingredients are free and requires just a little bit of turning and watering until the ingredients become a rich crumbly growing medium. Hope that helps your understanding and evaluation of this innovative, inexpensive and marvelous way to grow vegetables.

Jurij Europe-SloveniaMarch 26, 2013 at 2:52 pm -

In what range sizes ( mm or inches ) are the particles of grade 4 vermiculite in US ?
so i can order the right size here in Europe..

Off hand, I don’t know the exact measurements, but I’ll find them out for you. I’ll send this letter onto our friends at Therm-O-Rock in Chandler, AZ and I’ll ask them to contact you directly with the information you need. They may also have more knowledge about the availability of Vermiculite in Europe. In fact, in my letter to them, I’ll ask them to provide me with those technical measurements for the US grade course. And my question to them: is there a separate grade for type of use, like swimming pool base or insulation? Do they all have the same dimensional grading for those different types of uses? Thanks for your question, hope we can get a quick answer.

Dominique, GermanyApril 24, 2013 at 1:42 pm -

Hi Mel, I was wondering if you were able to find out. I live in Germany and was able to find 2 sizes: up to 3 mm or 6 mm. I didn’t question it too much and ordered the up to 6 mm. I figured it would be equivalent to medium and coarse. But really, I have no way to tell as I can’t remember what I used back in US.

For my birthday, I asked my husband to buid me 2 boxes. And so far, it has been the best gift ever! I was finally able to go tru your ook which I own, and apply the method!

I picked a nice selection of different veggies and others. One of them is Melon. When I tell my friends and neighbors, they all laugh and say I won’t be able to grow melon. Any thought?

I tried to find some of the information about vermiulite by writing to 2 different suppliers. Unfortunately they never wrote back. I’ll have to try again and find some new suppliers, maybe they will write back. But I think you’re on the right track with the sizes you selected. The biggest size would be about the size of an eraser at the end of a pencil..that would be course. Medium would be between 1/2 and 1/4 of that size. Of course not all of the particles in the bag would be that big. There are a lot of smaller and fine material in every bag. How is that for a scientific explanation.

Concerning the melons, I don’t know if your neighbors question growing melons in your climate and I don’t know where in Germany that you live or the idea that you can grow melons in Square Foot Garden. Are you planning on growing them vertically in a trellis as shown in the book or just letting them sprawl over the ground. We’ve grown all kinds of melons from medium size watermelons down to cantaloupe in the SFG method for many years. So if you could tell me a little more about why they are surprised that you could grow melons, I could address that specifically. You’ve given me a new idea for a blog that could be titled “What crops can you grow vertically?”. I could describe them and show pictures of not only tomato and cucumber, but also cantaloupe, watermelon, and even pumpkins. Not the big giant varieties, but the small to medium size of those crops. I have a picture of a giant tomato grown vertically held by my granddaughter…and believe it or not, it’s almost as big as her head. I’ll get that posted on my blog in the next couple of weeks, so be watching for it. I hope that answers all your questions and I liked what you said about your square foot garden being the best gift you’ve ever gotten. Tell more people about that and we’ll make more families happier.

That’s great information! We’ve included the chart right here. Although it may look a little complicated at first, it gives us both the metric and English system of measurements. This will be easy to use all over the world, not just in the USA.

Thanks for sharing,
Mel

NOTES:
These sizes and values are given for general information purposes only. All manufacturers do not necessarily produce all these grades, and many use grades which may not conform to these specifications at all times.

VeW in MAMarch 29, 2013 at 4:31 pm -

Mel,
The picture of the bag above is listed at Home Depot for $20/2cubic ft and the picture is the same but the product is listed as medium grade. It is okay to use this product? Just want to know before I order it. Thanks!

If you’ve tried many other places and this is the last or the best you can find, I would say go ahead. If you’re making more or less small batches for now, I would keep looking because the coarse will last much longer and do a much better job. This is better than none. So use your best judgement. I’m surprised at the cost and availability of vermiculite because we used to get 4 cu ft. of coarse for about $24 dollar. Now its 2 cu ft. of medium for $20. But I guess everything has a way of increasing in price. Be gentle when you’re mixing so you don’t break down the particles any more than they are now. Remember the best way to mix, we recommend, is in a large tarp so the material just rolls over itself as you pull the edges of the tarp. That way you don’t break up the particles to make them even finer than they are. Hope that works for you, best wishes.

Alethea - MinnesotaApril 1, 2013 at 12:10 pm -

I just went to Home Depot yesterday and asked for vermiculite and was told they don’t sell it anymore because it is toxic. Any insight into that?

To Althea from Minnesota – hello Althea! I love your name. My sister was named Althea. She lived in CA most of her life and was on our board of directors for the Square Foot Gardening Foundation. Both she and my daughter Gail were directors, just to include the family. Plus we had four other people outside of the family to round out the Board. Althea was a great believer in Square Foot Gardening and she helped immensely both in the funding and then the running of the organization back in the early days of the Foundation. But I no longer have family members on the board of directors today. But thank you for writing.

You’ve brought up a very interesting point. It took me back 10 years…and then 20 years. You said Home Depot told you they don’t carry vermiculite anymore because it is toxic. Oh boy, well if you read in the book about vermiculite I think I tell that whole story. But basically, that’s an old story that keeps renewing year after year. It’s a news story – there was a mine 20 year ago (possibly in Michigan) that had some asbestos in with the ore that they were mining. It was a mica ore. The ore contaminated the vermiculite and the whole town was in trouble. Well as soon as they found out how toxic it was they shut down that mine and cleaned up the whole town. And ever since that same story surfaced every spring.

It’s odd that you write me in April, April 1st – now this isn’t an April fool’s joke is it? Well anyhow, ever since then what’s happened was because it was contaminated they went in – the governments from all over the world – to inspect the mines, closing those that had asbestos in and around them and they now inspect the vermiculite very meticulously. Most of the bags today come with the sign that says asbestos free. And please feel safe to buy any vermiculite because it passes rigorous inspection tests. And I would ask you to call your Home Depot and ask for the manager and tell him or her that you were told by one of the clerks a very damaging and wrong statement – mention that. If you could find out the name of that person I would like to write them and send them the whole file so they won’t be passing on this misinformation about vermiculite.

Also, if you are concerned Google vermiculite – you can go to the government websites and learn all about it, you can go to the industries website and learn all the things that they are doing today. Just how many days ago was it that I posted and said I had been to Home Depot and there were the big bags of vermiculite (4 cubic feet) – I think they were about $24. Which is a pretty good price today. This should make you feel safe and for anyone else that has heard that – it’s an old story, it’s been corrected, and not to worry. Thank you for writing about that, Althea. And good luck in your garden.

P.S. By the way, there is one little caution on mixing vermiculite. It is rather dusty and you don’t want to be making a big mess. But then again, peat moss is also very dusty. You don’t want to mix it in a closed room – don’t close up your garage and mix it on the floor. Mix it outside. We even caution people: when you are mixing it wear a painting mask just so none of that dust gets into your lungs.

Sarah - Oxfordshire, EnglandApril 2, 2013 at 1:39 pm -

Just decided to try the SFG for myself over here in cold but sunny England. I have question regarding the Vermiculite. I can managed to get the coarse grade at a company called Plumbase which is a building supply company for use as insulation. Is this the same stuff and can it be used for horticultural use? I am really excited about your method of gardening and itching to get started.

Just a quick note that in upstate SC I have found that Twin Bridge Nursery (http://twinbridgenursery.com/) carries the 2 cu ft bags for $20-$30 (pricing varies on time of year). They are a great local nursery. The nearby Home Depot and Lowes do not carry the larger bags.

You’ve found what many do: not every single Lowes or Home Depot or even chain nurseries carry exactly the same thing. Quite often it’s regionalized and sometimes it’s just up to the buyer in that part of the country. Knowing that you can see why its difficult to give general advice on where to go and what to get. I’m glad you wrote, because everyone in your area will benefit now from your experience and effort to find the vermiculite. The more problems we have in locating the coarse large bags of vermiculite make more and more people say they will just buy the Mel’s Mix, already made. In fact, we just had a letter from someone saying they priced out all the ingredients and realized it would cost them as much if not more to make their own, not even counting the hours of labor and travel. This is another great reason and opportunity that Home Depot has given us this spring, to order Mel’s Mix, premade, in large bags, and have it delivered right to your house. If you’re ordering just a few bags, the cost of shipping is too much but if you’re doing an entire garden of at least 30 or 40 bags, the shipping becomes reasonable. In fact, they offer such a deal that after the sixth bag, every additional bag includes free shipping. Of course, those first 6 bags are expensive, but thereafter, everything is free and even better, it’s still the same price, no matter where you live in the country. So go to homedepot.com, put in the code number 11760 or call this 800 number and give them the same code: 1-800-430-3376. You’ll have everything delivered to your door in a couple of days. Hope that helps and you’re off and ready to start your garden.

Sarah Oxfordshire, EnglangApril 3, 2013 at 12:07 pm -

Does it have to be horticultural vermiculite or can I use the sort you can buy for insulation?

This is to Sarah from England. Well welcome to America, Sarah. You’ve
written a good question, Sarah. And we’re trying to decipher that. There
are several uses for vermiculite. One is insulation – it used to be poured
in the attics as insulation for the ceilings for the rooms below. It’s also
used in construction for bases and it’s also used in shipping for bottles of
liquid. The bottles are put into a box of vermiculite that keeps it from
shifting around or breaking. And then of course we use it in gardening,
too. Each one has a category for its use. I’m trying still to find out if
you can mix the categories – is it different vermiculite or is it all made
by the same people, the same company and just bagged for different uses. So
I’m thinking it all can be used. I would first say if you could help me –
call anyone in the government that deals with gardening and say, “I want to
use the vermiculate, it’s not exactly graded for horticultural but it is
graded for construction and can I use that in making my Mel’s Mix for my
Square Foot Garden”.

I’m waiting for answers and I’ll keep your letter on file and I’ll answer it
just as soon as I can get some word either from the government that sets
these regulations or from the companies that make the different uses. Wish
I could give you a definite answer but I think it is going to be positive.
Basically they are taking mica rock and heating it to 2,500 degrees
Fahrenheit – it explodes just like popcorn does – and forms nice, big, loose
granulars that allow air to pass and water yet it holds the water when the
roots need it. It has kind of a spongy feel to it and I don’t think there
is any difference in the manufacturing process for whoever they sell it to
for different uses. But I’ll get back to you just as soon as I can. Thanks
for writing.

Thanks for helping! That’s a great idea and that will make it a lot easier for other people.

Best Wishes,
Mel

Santi, MoApril 6, 2013 at 9:40 am -

Thanks Sir, I appreciate your response and agree w/ you. SFG is the best outdoor gardening method and upfront cost is worth it.

KayApril 8, 2013 at 11:04 pm -

The Home Depot stores at SH 121 & Ohio and the Toll Rd. & Park in Plano TX have vermiculite, med size grind, large bag for $21/bag. In both stores, this product is on an interior building wall in the garden section, not in the area w/ soil, mulch & fertilizer section. Look for the bag pictured on this site as most employees don’t know what it is.

Dear Kay from Texas,
You are absolutely right about the location. They don’t go outside, probably because the Vermiculite could get wet, even though they are in a poly-bag and since Vermiculite absorbs so much moisture, they do put them on shelves inside the building. Another caution to buyers is most of the bags have a place where the manufacturer can check which grade it is, fine, medium or coarse. But sometimes we have found the workmen do not mark which grade it is. And then you have to rely on the clerk at the store knowing, which quite often they don’t either. So if you’re in doubt, ask for the manager and they can look up the shipping order to determine what grade of coarseness that bag is. Kay, you didn’t mention which size the bag was, but we’re finding that even changes occassionally. Right now, in the western USA, the manufacturer is producing 3.5 and 6 cu. ft. They used to have just 4 cu. ft. bags. After talking to the manufacturer, it turns out the 4 cu. ft bag was just a tiny bit too big and squished out from the pallet, easily ripping. So they made it slightly less than 4 cu. ft. and that’s how they came up with the 3.5 cu. ft. size. That is sort of unfortunate for Square Foot Gardeners because all of our calculations are based on square and cu. ft., usually in 1, 4, 9 or 16 numbers.

For those that like numbers and enjoy arithmetic, we spelled out in the ALL NEW SFG book all the numbers you need to know. For example, a 4x4x6 inches deep=8 cu. ft. of Mel’s Mix. When that is divided by 3 different components, in other words, peat moss, vermiculite and compost. 3 doesn’t go into 8 very well without fractions so most people say what is the most important ingredient? And that would be blended compost. So I’ll make that 3 cu. ft. And then make the other 2 ingredients equal to 2.5 cu. ft. And of course that doesn’t divide quickly or easily into the size of the bags. The end result is you probably need the kids to come in and help you with the arithmetic, but remember 1/3 of each part is not gospel, or exact, as long as it’s close and you end up with enough to fill your box to the top, that’s what is important.

So all of this leads to the advantage of buying Mel’s Mix which is already mixed and you don’t have to worry about the formula. In a big operation like that, they can make it exactly 1/3 of each and then all you have to do is buy enough of the bags of Mel’s Mix to fill your box. Don’t be concerned or confused with exact numbers. I always like to say, as long as your close, the plants will not know the difference.

I do have one question, in your book you say 6 in deep is enough. Is it the lower limit? I live in Europe and of course lumber is sold with metric measures, so all what I could find was just short of 6 in.

Actually, Domnique, I started out while I was inventing the SFG system with patio boxes using 1×4 inch lumber for the sides…using only homemade compost and everything grew quite well. You might want to just add more compost than the 1/3 formula and that would allow you to buy the slightly narrower lumber. Tell me what length wood comes in to compare with our 8 footers. Can you measure in inches what your metric lumber would come in to match our 1×6 inch lumber?

Happy Gardening,
Mel

CarolynMay 2, 2013 at 1:56 pm -

Vermiculite can also be found at stores that carry hydroponic supplies.

That’s a great source…and I would add one thing to that. When I hear other people say I drove all over town and I couldn’t find it (and this relates to almost anything), I always say let your fingers do the walking. Start at home with a phone book and it’s much easier, quicker and kinder to you, your family and the environment. Just call around to see who has it, what sizes they carry, how much it costs, and put 3 bags aside and I”ll pick it up tomorrow.

Thanks for sharing,
Mel

Pauline From EnglandJuly 18, 2013 at 2:10 pm -

Help does any one know where i can buy peat moss in England, i have been looking everywhere, so if any one knows pleasssse let me know.

I hope that someone answers you because I do not have a list or even knowledge of where you could find peat moss. I would assume, but maybe not correctly, that every garden center would have peat moss. Either loose in a bag or compressed in a bale.

We do occasionally get a letter from the UK pointing out the environmental issue, that we are are using up all of our peat moss and it cannot be replaced. Have you read in my book my answer to that? I hope so because I think that it makes a lot of sense. I won’t repeat the whole thing because it is in the book. In fact it is probably in almost all of my books. There is a shortage, but only in the UK. In places like in Canada, they tell me there is enough peat moss to supply the whole world for the next 100 years. So it would be a shame to not use this in your garden.

The one alternative that can be used in place of peat moss is something that is renewable, is the material called Coir. These are coconut hulls harvested and ground up and it works quite well compared to peat moss. In fact, we are starting to substitute a portion of the peat moss in our already blended Mel’s Mix with the new coir material. I’m quite sure it is sold in all garden centers and usually comes in the form of a brick shaped log. I hope that helps your question.

Your are absolutely right and I missed that one. Home Depot has always carried 4 cu. ft. bags of coarse for $24. That’s what fooled me and without looking closely at this year’s bags, I erroneously assumed, which is a bad thing to do, and especially since they were from the same manufacturer and colored bag as last year, that it was still 4 cu. ft. bags and thinking they reduced the price.

Foolish me, the price never goes down does it? But now they’ve almost doubled the price and not even offering the coarse variety, which is more expensive. So we have decided to locate and add to our SFG .com store the very finest, coarse grade 2 cu. ft. bags and we are going to match Home Depot’s price of $20.97 per bag. Even though the coarse grade cost more. I hope that would help you and that you’ll be able to order directly from us.

Bob we’re working on the addition for the ordering of the new vermiculite bags to our store and it should be ready in just a day or two. I will save your address and send you a copy as soon as it’s ready if you decide to order directly from the foundation. That way you will have the best and finest coarse grade I could personally find and it will be shipped right to your front door. In addition we are going to offer a $5 credit towards shipping. We will stay in touch.

Thank you for sending those sources for ordering vermiculite. They look good and I am going to contact both of them. They seem a very reasonable price and I noticed that the U-line company just increased their 4 cu. ft. bag to $34 per bag.

The $24 and $25 bags from your 2 sources are very reasonable and may not last long when compared to Home Depot’s price today of $21 for a 2 cu. ft. bag of medium grade vermiculite.

Like the price of gasoline, a finished product of vermiculite depends almost solely of the cost of the ore and shipping around the world. So it can fluctuate. We’ve been trying to match the Home Depot price in our entry in to the vermiculite supply business. So your two references is important information to add to our database. Thank you for doing the research. Have you ordered from either one of these companies and what kind of results did you get? Thanks again for your information!

Dear Gary,
Thank you for letting me know about another great resource for getting this hard to find but necessary ingredient to Mel’s Mix. The $24 a bag is a very reasonable price especially since it is coarse grade versus the medium grade available at Home Depot. The shipping cost doesn’t seem as expensive when your alternative is to drive all over town looking for this illusive product. Your reference is a great addition to our database. Thank you for doing the research.
Best Wishes,
Mel

ValerySeptember 30, 2013 at 9:01 am -

All the good days.
I do vermiculite in Lithuania.
Suggest crumbly vermiculite any fraction to 12$ / 50l, and the board (board) of vermiculite thickness from 1 to 5 cm
Prices vary depending on your needs.
Regards, Valery.
E-mail: b.waleriy @ gmail.com

Dear Valery,
Thank you for your information. It’s great to hear about a resource for vermiculite in different countries. If you send me more information about your company, a website and contact information, I’ll add it to our vermiculite database. You can email using the Contact Us form.
Best Wishes,
Mel

Tom LevineOctober 3, 2013 at 10:19 pm -

Hi Mel! I’m holding in my hand the original SFG, copyright 1981, fully endorsed by Bob Thomson, with your amazing beard and original unraised garden photo’d on the cover. What an amazing book. I have been consuming it for years. Amazing, how your fans have such easy access to you, thank you INTERNET! Anyway, truly an honor. So, I miss my garden from my old house, grew tons and tons of veggies over the years, but moved 2 years ago, (kept the house, have renters, but yes, you guessed it, they don’t garden…All that amazing soil…anyway…)and have just started up with a new garden in my home. This thread hits home. I recall how easy it was to buy the 4 cf coarse bag of Vermiculite from Home Depot, and now, it’s 2CF, and medium grade, and twice the price. I only realized it, after I mixed and prepared my first square (actually, it’s an 8×2 to fit the side yard, but if I do my math correctly, yup, that will work…). Anyway, I took the day off tommorow, to go buy some lumber, and will be working in the garage building, well not 2 more squares, 2 more rectangles really, but you get the point. Searching the internet for suppliers, I think you’ll agree that shipping seems to be a bit of an issue. I wrote emails to SunGro and Thermorock, and asked them for retailers in the Sacramento area (or the foothills). Hopefully they will respond back. Well, just a huge fan, Mel. Will be buying your new edition SFG, but refuse to give up my original 1981 version. I remember the first square I ever planted, it was a huge failure, in the back of a very dark patio in a 2 bedroom apartment. That was 1991. Now, I have a nice yard to work with, and I somewhat know what I’m doing (age has its benefits…), and I have once again, become inspired by you and your work. Thank you Mel!!! Most sincerely, Tom.

Tom LevineOctober 4, 2013 at 11:29 am -

Good news! I went to Lowes today, to pick up Lumber, and they sell Vermiculite! It’s right next to the Peat Moss, outside, and it comes in 1.5 cf bags, at about $11 per cubic foot, and guess what: The product has “Square Foot Gardening” on it. I could not locate any information on the bag indicating if is coarse or medium grade, but I have to assume it is coarse, given the SFG branding on the cover. The price, at about $16 a bag (1.5cf), is competitive to Home Depot’s medium grade, so, I think I found my big-box solution. I’m heading over to a local nursery to pick up a birch tree for the backyard, and will check out prices and availability there. Hope this helps people! Sincerely, Tom.

Dear Tom,
Thank you for your letters. I really enjoyed reading them and wish you great success in setting up your new gardens. Finding coarse grade vermiculite can be hard at times and I’m glad to hear that you found something locally.
As for the product you found at Lowes, we currently are not associated with any vermiculite product other than the trial sale we had earlier this year. I’m glad to hear that you were able to create your Mel’s Mix, but I do not know the grade of the product that you purchased.
Again, thank you for your letter and I hope you enjoy the new book just as much as you do the original.
Happy Gardening,
Mel